Pressure is on for Bath Rugby to lay down marker, believes Topsy Ojo
Bath Rugby have the chance to lay down a real marker with a hat-trick of titles this season, and former England winger and Premier Sports pundit Topsy Ojo believes the pressure is on to do just that.
Having ended their 17-year wait for silverware by lifting the Premiership Rugby Cup earlier in the season, Bath will now try to book a place in the semi-finals of the EPCR Challenge Cup when they host local rivals Gloucester Rugby at The Rec on Sunday evening, live on Premier Sports 1 from 5pm.
And for Ojo, who is working as a co-commentator for broadcaster Premier Sports, the onus is on Bath not only to win that West Country derby but to go all the way, while also doing the same in the Gallagher Premiership, which they currently lead by 10 points.
He said: 'They are still in a position now, if they get things right, to win three trophies this season.
"What they have been trying to build over the last few years, that would be a real flag in the sand to say 'right, we are here, we are ready to enjoy a sustained period of success'.
'They will be favourites, home advantage plays into their hands this weekend, and they would be based in the UK in a semi-final, so they will have no fears about going the whole way.
'They have been there or thereabouts the last few years, getting to the Premiership final last year, but to be in a position to win three trophies would be something.
"That is their goal now, we have spoken about their squad, and that has to be the ambition. They have to be a team that starts to win things regularly.
'They are now in striking distance at the business end of the season, so far so good, but we will know really where they are in six weeks - are they in Cardiff for the Challenge Cup final? Are they at Twickenham for the final as well?
'For this team, I think where they are now and what they have been through the last couple of years, I don't think getting through to the finals is enough. They have to pick up one, if not both of the trophies they are still in the hunt for.'
Ojo will be at The Rec on Sunday evening as part of the Premier Sports punditry team with Wales and Lions legend Jamie Roberts alongside Claire Thomas, Jenny Drummond and Martin Gillingham, with the broadcaster having added further global competitions to their offering in the form of Japan's JLR1 and USA's Major League Rugby.
The two leagues will be shown as part of a new 24/7 rugby channel, Premier Sports Rugby, while the broadcaster will now host more than 400 live rugby games every season from competitions across 11 rugby nations.
But this week is all about international club rugby action as we hit the quarter-finals of the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR, with all eight boxoffice fixtures live and exclusive on Premier Sports.
On Sunday evening, Ojo will be able to see Bath up close and personal as part of the Premier Sports team, explaining that Bath's depth may be the deciding factor in the fixture: 'Gloucester will back themselves to go there and spring an upset.
"The key is the thing that a lot of teams have struggled with, it's defensively. They are really going to need to hang in there and not to say that they have bad discipline, but they need to make sure they don't give away cheap penalties that become very costly.
"Those penalties that end up being kicked into the 22 where Bath can start a driving maul. Those unnecessary ones, if they can cut those out, they give themselves a chance.
'Gloucester can score points; they are very good in that aspect and have been all season. So to give themselves a chance, it's without the ball that they need to be better.
'For Bath, if they get into a shootout with Gloucester, yes, they might be favourites, but that plays into Gloucester's hands.
'They will be looking for a bit more control from their point of view. We know they are a brilliant attacking team, but they will want to squeeze Gloucester a little bit and keep them at arm's length more than anything.
'From a Bath point of view, they know that across the 80 minutes they will stay as strong, if not get stronger, where other teams tire.
"So take the opportunities when they present themselves, but they don't necessarily need to win the game in the first 20 minutes because they know they can maintain that level across the whole game.'
is the home of Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup rugby and offers rugby fans more than 400 games live across its channels during the season with all the action from the United Rugby Championship, Top 14, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MLR in the USA and Japan League 1. Join the home of rugby for just £11.99 a month. Visit www.premiersports.com.
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